FOXBORO – On Tuesday, wide receiver Aaron Dobson testified that he was ready to go and hadn’t missed a beat despite months recovering from foot surgery.

It was an aggressive stance for the second-year player and maybe a case of inadvertent overstatement. It’s going to take time before Dobson reaches the same level he attained before getting injured in Week 12 against the Broncos.

If Dobson doesn’t yet believe it, Tom Brady will remind him.

Asked about Dobson’s optimism on Wednesday, Brady said, “I don’t think really getting ready for an NFL season is easy by any stretch. I think it’s a lot of work and effort, and you’ve got to pay it in advance. You can’t just slap it out there and think you can last the whole year.

“Whatever situation guys are in, they’re trying to work to be the best that they can be,” Brady continued. “Some guys who have the opportunity to be out there every day in practice, it’s great for our team, but if you don’t, you’ve got to do what you need to do to help our team win at some point. Coach handles all those things, and we as players have to be mentally tough to just go out there and do our best, regardless of who is out there, because it could be like that.”

Early last season, Dobson’s plate was overloaded with information and expectations. Thrust into a lead role in the Patriots offense, he did well to assimilate after a shoddy start.

But while he’s been healing, Kenbrell Thompkins, Brandon LaFell and unheralded Brian Tyms have been making headway. Dobson is going to have to carve out his spot in the offense all over again.

To Brady, the name of the person he’s throwing to matters less than the way that person is performing. His loyalty is to offensive production over particular players.

“We’ve dealt with a lot of injuries over the years, but you can’t let it detract from what you’re trying to do, which is ultimately win the game,” he explained. “And it doesn’t really matter how you win; you’ve just got to find a way to win.”

Tom E. Curran serves as Comcast SportsNet's NFL Insider. Read more from Tom here, or follow him on Twitter or Facebook.